The International Symposium on the Pathophysiology of Plasma Protein Metabolism was held in Pisa, Italy, on October 11-13, 1982. It consisted chiefly of lectures, each providing a synopsis of the state of art of topics related to kinetic and pathophysiological factors regulating the synthesis, distribution and degradation of plasma proteins. The proceedings will be published in a book entitled "Pathophysiology of Plasma Protein Metabolism." It deals with special aspects of the kinetics of turnover and distribution of plasma proteins, the regulation of synthesis, distribution and catabolism of a class of plasma proteins, including albumin, immunoglobulins, complement fractions and acute phase proteins, and metabolic studies of specific plasma proteins, including tumor markers, coagulation proteins and lipoproteins, in different disease states.